ARTS 2020: Music & Technology I

Arts Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Tuesday/Friday, 2:00-3:50pm, SAGE 2510

Instructor: Rob Hamilton, West Hall 305/6

e: hamilr4 [at] rpi [dot] edu

w: https://robertkhamilton.github.io/

Office Hours: TBD

TA: Everett Carpenter - carpee2 [at] rpi [dot] edu

COURSE SYLLABUS - Fall, 2026

PREREQUISITES

None

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to music and sound-art created through the use of computer and electronic systems. This is a studio course, and students will be expected to participate creatively in class by listening, taking an active role in discussions, and making your own work through significant, intelligent uses of technology. Although a component of this class includes learning how to use computers and other technological tools, this is not a "how-to-use technology" course. We will focus primarily on learning enough about technology to realize personal creative projects. There will be cake*.

This Studio class will explore technology-forward techniques for creating and controlling sound and music systems for composition, research and live performance.

Working in teams or on their own, students will design their own music-rich technology experiences, compose music, design sonic material, and implement their own playable interactive musical projects.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

Music technology-based research and composition taught in the context of modern computerized production methods. Technical topics include basic principles of music programming languages, digital sound synthesis and sampling, and the use of computer systems for musical control of electronic instruments. Musical topics include a study of important musical works and compositional techniques of the 21st century. Student projects involve hands-on work on a variety of computer programming languages, instruments, and software. This course is a prerequisite for further creative work with Rensselaer’s computer music facilities.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

    Students who successfully complete this course will demonstrate...
  1. an understanding and appreciation of computer music through an awareness of the many disciplines underlying the field including: listening skills, musical theory, musical acoustics, psycho-acoustics, software design and programming, digital audio theory, and digital signal processing.
  2. basic technical facility in the areas of audio recording, editing, sound synthesis, software development and post production.
  3. creativity and resourcefulness through the creation and composition of your own sonic projects

EVALUATION

Evaluation is based on the following:

CLASS PARTICIPATION

You will be required to present some of your assignments to the class, to show your work within the software environment you used to create it, and to engage the class in discussion of your work. When you are not presenting your own work, you need to be attentive to whoever is presenting, and to engage them in discussion of their work. Failure to participate in class will lower your grade.

ATTENDANCE

You must attend class to succeed in this course.

  1. Since much of the class is focused on listening to and discussing work in class, attendance is mandatory.
  2. ** More then two unexcused absences will affect your grade, detracting 1/2 grade each additional 2 unexcused absences. **
  3. Late arrivals are very disruptive - continued late arrival will affect your grade.
  4. It should go without saying but no use of mobile devices or personal computers during class time (except for as required by the coursework itself) is acceptable. Continued violations will be treated as an unexcused absence.

STATEMENT REGARDING ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Collaboration between students in this course when specified by the instructor is encouraged. Likewise, students are encouraged — indeed, to some extent required — to exchange ideas, opinions and information. You are also encouraged to help each other in the lab and with performance, production, and presentation of creative projects.

That being said, all work you submit should be wholly your own. If you collaborate on an assignment (with faculty approval) you must specify which elements of the submitted work are your own and which are someone else's. Lack of proper attribution will be taken as an attempt to pass of another's work as your own.

Plagiarism of any kind is in direct violation of University policy on Academic Dishonesty as defined in the Rensselaer Handbook, and penalties for plagiarism can be severe. In this class you will be expected to attribute due credit to the originator of any ideas, words, sounds, or music which you incorporate substantially into your own work. This applies particularly to citation of sources for sonic "samples" included in your compositions.

The use of automated technical aids (e.g. ChatBots, AI code plugins) is not necessarily forbidden but if used MUST be documented in great detail and discussed with the Professor prior to use in a graded project/assignment.

Submission of any assignment that is in violation of this policy may result in a grade of F for the assignment in question. Violation of this policy will be reported, as defined in the Rensselaer Handbook

DISABILITY SERVICES FOR STUDENTS

Students requiring assistance are encouraged to contact Disability Services: http://doso.rpi.edu/dss to discuss any special accommodations or needs for this course.

OFFICE HOURS

Office Hours for Fall, 2026 will be TBD

TEXTBOOKS / REPOSITORIES / FOUNDATIONAL MATERIAL

Musimathics (Vol. I), by Gareth Loy

Musimathics (Vol, II), by Gareth Loy

Theory and Techniques of Electronic Music, by Miller Puckette

Designing Sound, by Andy Farnell


 

FILE UPLOAD LINK (BOX)


 

COURSE SCHEDULE

The proposed course topics and schedule will be as follows (take note of project due dates!). Based on class progress and interests, this schedule is subject to change. Special topics, guest lectures, supplemental reading, listening and additional assignments to be announced.

Week 1:
Week 2:
Tuesday, 9/1
INTRO MUSIC: Jolene (feat. Holly+) by Holly Herndon

LECTURE: The Voice(s) of Computer Music History
  * Bell Labs: The Voder
  * 2001: A Space Odyssey - HAL's death - Long YouTube clip
  * Max Matthews: Computer History Museum profile, Meet Max Mathews, Inventor of First Music App, (Wired, 2011)
  * AI Darth Vader in Fortnite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuQNkI_0iPY

  * Smule: https://www.smule.com/
  * * I Am T-Pain
  * * Magic Piano: iOS App Store
  * * * Lang Lang plays Magic Piano: Classical Star Lang Lang Plays the iPad During Concert
  * * * PATENT: SYNTHETIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT WITH PERFORMANCE-AND/OR SKILL-ADAPTIVE SCORE TEMPO
  * * * PAPER: Hamilton, R., Smith, J., Wang, G., "Social Composition: Musical Data Systems for Expressive Mobile Music", Leonardo Music Journal, volume 21, 2011. (link, .pdf)

LISTENING:
Week 3:
Tuesday, 9/8

INTRO MUSIC: Jolene both ways (1981/1973) (Slo-ass version by Jon Oswald/Plunderphonics; orig. Dolly Parton)

Basic Concepts of Sound, Music and Technology (continued)


How Speakers Make Sound: video (Animagraphs @ YouTube)

TOPICS:
  • Composing with recorded sound: Musique Concrete, Soundscape Composition, sample-based composition

LISTENING:
READING / TALKS:
Audio Sources:

ASSIGNMENT #1 (due Thursday, September 17 11:59:59 pm EST):
  • Using Audacity or another DAW within which you can cut up, manipulate and process audio, create your own mashup/remix/piece-concrete/soundscape/audio-collage/plunderphonic using any recorded source material. If you're using audio that you yourself did not create for this exercise, please make sure that the final presentation is substantially different than the original, and that the source material has been noticably transformed through your creative efforts.
  • Your final project should be at least one-minute long
  • Please upload your project to the class Box folder as a .zip archive containing:
    1. a stereo .wav (44100 or 48000 Hz) mix-down of your final piece
    2. your _entire_ Audacity project folder (containing the .aup file as well as all your audio)
    3. a written description of what you were trying to accomplish in this project and how you went about doing so

Week 4:
Tuesday, 9/15

INTRO MUSIC: Cyan by Monolake

DOCUMENTARY: Speaking in Code, (Henke interview)

Introduction to Max/MSP (continued)

Max for Live: https://www.ableton.com/en/live/max-for-live/

Pluton by Phillipe Manoury (1988)
Histories of (some) Computer Music Programming Languages
* Dartmouth Symposium on the Future of Computer Music Software: a panel discussion (2002) by Eric Lyon (ft. Max Mathews, Miller Puckette, Gareth Loy, David Zicarelli, James McCartney, Barry Vercoe)
  - Computer Music Journal, Winter2002, volume 26, issue 4, pages 13-30 (18p)

* Max at 17 by Miller Puckette
  - Computer Music Journal, Winter2002, volume 26, issue 4, pages 31-43 (13p)

"In my experience, computer music software most often arises as a result of interactions between artists and software writers (occasionally embodied in the same person, but not in my own case). This interaction is at best one of mutual enabling and mutual respect. The design of the software cannot help but affect what computer music will sound like, but we software writers must try not to project our own musical ideas through the software. In the best of circumstances, the artists remind us of their needs--which often turn out quite different from what either of us first imagined. To succeed as computer music software writers, then, we need close exposure to high-caliber artists representing a wide variety of concerns. Only then can we can identify features that can solve a variety of different problems when in the hands of very different artists." - Miller Puckette

 
Thursday, 9/17

NO CLASS: Constitution Day

Full Schoolhouse Rock! video: Laser Disc rip
* I'm Just a Bill (original)
* Simpsons parody
* SNL parody


 
Friday, 9/18

INTRO MUSIC: Max MSP: The Secret Weapon of Live Performance by Steve Newcomb

Artist Perspective: Holly Herndon - https://tapeop.com/interviews/132/holly-herndon

Basics of Max/MSP continued...

Cycling 74 Tutorials: https://docs.cycling74.com/learn/series/max-tutorials/"

Class Max repo: https://github.com/robertkhamilton/Arts2020

Histories of (some) Computer Music Programming Languages (continued)
* How I learned to love a programming language that does nothing by David Zicarelli
  - Computer Music Journal, Winter2002, volume 26, issue 4, pages 44-51 (8p)

Pure Data: Introduction to PD (~mirror):

- basic operation, synthesis, subpatches, abstractions, externals, logic Pure Data Tutorial Patches: pd_lab.zip
Ultra-mega-ok-pd-tutorial-patch: pd_tutorial.zip

Week 5:
Tuesday, 9/22

Class Max repo: https://github.com/robertkhamilton/Arts2020

Assignment #1 Criterion Collection: https://rpi.box.com/s/xd6w0qk6wuaj301byn1lgnjm2ir8dabi

Intro Music: Synclavier Original Factory Demo (1978) (demo, overview)

Basics of Synthesis

  • Additive Synthesis

  • Subtractive Synthesis

  • FM Synthesis

Additive Synthesis

    - Telharmonium (Thadeus Cahill)
        The Telharmonium and the Prophetic Visions of Thaddeus Cahill
        Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US580035A/en

    - Hammond Organ
        Synthesis Enters the Sound of Pop Music
        Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US1956350A/en

    - Synclavier
        Additive Synthesis on the Synclavier
        Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4345500A/en
        "At Home With Frank Zappa": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSGRaT5fCsU
        Zappa Synclavier overview: https://youtu.be/GMmBsbnmEME?is=Aa3zx1a7nEp5Sadh, (Synclavier section:https://youtu.be/gSGRaT5fCsU?t=460

Jean-Claude Risset (1938 - 2016)
  • https://ressources.ircam.fr/en/jean-claude-risset
  • Computer Suite From Little Boy (1968; 12:41; Bell Laboratories): (youtube)
    • Flight And Countdown (4:27)
    • Fall (2:50)
    • Contra-Apotheosis (5:07)
    • "This music I composed for the play Little Boy by Pierre Halet. The theme of the play is the revival of the Hiroshima bombing in the form of a nightmare of Eatherly, the pilot of a reconnaissance plane who later developed guilt jeopardizing his mental health. Fall corresponds to the release of the bomb. The pilot thinks that Little Boy, the bomb with which he identifies himself, is falling - in fact this is a psychological collapse that never reaches any bottom. To illustrate this, I have produced a paradoxical glissando, which appears to glide down for ever amidst more normal tones. This is accomplished by ganging together a number of octave components, as pioneered by organ makers such as Callinet centuries ago and by psychologist Roger Shepard with the computer, and used in instrumental music from Bach to Berg and later my own Phases for orchestra". - J.C. Risset (attributed by Andrei Smirnov
  • Shephard Tones: (youtube)
  • Risset Bells: Max tutorial
  • Sound Examples from "The Introductory Catalogue of Computer Synthesized Sounds (1969): (youtube)

Jon Appleton (1939 - 2022)
Week 6:
Tuesday, 9/29

FM (Frequency Modulation) Synthesis

John Chowning (composer, inventor of FM synthesis, founder CCRMA @ Stanford)
Harmonic spectra talk

Intro Music: Idioteque by Amanda Palmer

FM Synthesis Patent: https://patents.google.com/patent/US4018121A/en by John Chowning
- https://priceonomics.com/the-father-of-the-digital-synthesizer/
- Chowning on Ai ;)

Artist Perspective: Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) - https://cycling74.com/articles/mini-interview-jonny-greenwood

Radiohead's Idioteque (video), Lansky sample
Compare the two...
Lansky's Radiohead adventure: https://paul.mycpanel.princeton.edu/radiohead.ml.html

Piano Chords: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-R3ZzD4thM

MIDI Data and Controllers (Introduction)

Launchpad X controller
Polyphony in Max [poly~]
Week 7:
Tuesday, 10/6
Intro Music: Duet for One Pianist by Jean-Claude Risset (1989)

  • Overview page by pianist Chrysi Nanou (RPI page: https://faculty.rpi.edu/chrysi-nanou): https://chrysinanou.net/portfolio/duet-for-one-pianist/
  • Jean Claude Risset - Duet for One Pianist, Chrysi Nanou(piano), Performance @ Computer History Museum (2004), introduction by Max Mathews
  • Risset, J.C., Van Duyne, S. 1996. “Real-time interaction with a computer-controlled acoustic piano”, Computer Music Journal, 1996, Vol. 20, no 1, pp. 62-75. (JSTOR link, BOX link
  • C. Nanou, Hamilton, R. 2009. “For Jean-Claude: [re]Presenting Duet for One Pianist” In Proceedings of the International Computer Music Association Conference, Montreal, Canada. (.pdf
  • Nanou, C., Hamilton, R., "Historical Virtualization: Analog and Digital Concerns in the Recreation, Modeling and Preservation of Contemporary Piano Repertoire", Leonardo Music Journal, Issue 27, pp.27-31, Dec. 2017, doi: 10.1162/LMJ_a_01004. (.pdf)

Max/MSP Timing

Disklavier playback

Introduction to Spatialization

Introduction to Data Sonification

    Brain Stethoscope (Chafe/Parvisi)
    12000 Years of Earth's Climate Data (Chafe)
    Sonification Handbook
    Chafe Example (code download: BOX)
    Vostok Life Forms by Constantin Basica

Week 7:
Tuesday, 10/13

CLASS HACK/WORK DAY: Bring your project 2 code and ask lots of questions

Max/MSP ~30-day window

***** PLEASE BE AWARE OF YOUR FREE MAX/MSP TRIAL WINDOW END-DATE *****

Week 8:
Tuesday, 10/20
Assignment #2 Video Reviews
Week 9:
Tuesday, 10/27

Open Sound Control (OSC) and Clock Examples: https://github.com/robertkhamilton/Arts2020/tree/main/chuck

Videos:

Week 10:
Tuesday, 11/3
Week 11:
Tuesday, 11/10
Week 12:
Tuesday, 11/17
Week 13:
Tuesday, 11/24
Week 14:
Tuesday, 12/1
Week 15:
Tuesday, 12/8
Week 16:
FINAL PROJECTS DUE: TBD
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* the cake is a lie